وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آَيَةً مَكَانَ آَيَةٍ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُفْتَرٍ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ [ When We change a verse (an interim commandment) with another verse (final commandment), and Allah knows best what He sends down, they say, 'You are just a fabricator.' Rather most of them do not know. ]

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ لِسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُبِينٌ [ Yet We know what they say : 'It is only a man who instructs him.' The speech of the man they imply is obscure while this is clear Arabic.]

The Mushrikeen of Makka claimed that a man named Ar-Rahman from Al-Yamamah, who was a non Arab slave, not aware of Arabic, who happens to know about Taurat and Injeel, was teaching the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) and that the Quran was scripted by him. These were all baseless rumors spread by the Mushrikeen to lead people away from Islam.

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 104

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَا يَهْدِيهِمُ اللَّهُ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ [ Surely those who do not believe in Allah’s revelations will never be guided by Allah, and they will suffer a painful punishment.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 105

إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ [ Surely those who do not believe in the revelations of Allah, are the ones who forge the falsehood and they are the ones who are liars.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 106

مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ [ Whoever renounces faith in Allah after (affirming) his belief, barring someone who is compelled while his heart is at rest in faith; but those who open up their breasts to disbelieve, upon such shall be Allah’s wrath, and there is a great punishment for them.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 107

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآَخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ [ That is, because they preferred the life of the world to the Hereafter and that Allah does not guide those who do not believe. ]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 108

أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ [ They are the ones on whose hearts Allah has set a seal, and (also) on their hearing and their sight, and it is they who are the heedless. ]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 109

لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ [ No doubt, they are the ones who will be the losers in the Hereafter. ]

يَوْمَ تَأْتِي كُلُّ نَفْسٍ تُجَادِلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهَا وَتُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ[ The day when everyone will come pleading for himself and everyone will be compensated fully for what he has done, and they will not be wronged.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 112

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آَمِنَةً مُطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ[ Allah draws a parable : A town secure and peaceful. Its provision came abundantly from every place. But it was ungrateful toward Allah’s blessings. So Allah made it taste hunger and fear because of what they used to do.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 113

وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ[ There had certainly come to them an Apostle from among themselves, but they called him a liar, so the punishment seized them as they were wrongdoers..]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 114

فَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَاشْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ[ Eat the good and lawful things that Allah has given you, and be grateful for the bounty of Allah, (that should be your trait) if you really worship Him.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 115

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ[ He has forbidden you only carrion, blood, the flesh of the swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But should someone be compelled, without being rebellious or aggressive, indeed Allah is All Forgiving, All Merciful.]

What is the purport of the command that 'a thing which has been dedicated to other than Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) is forbidden'?

It is with reference to what we intend and commit by saying at the time of sacrificing the animal. The Makkan pagans used to say - بسم اللاتِ والعُزَى['Bismillati wal Uzza' - In the name of Laat and Uzza - the deities of Makkan pagans]. Against this, it was established in Islam that Muslims say - بسم اللهِ اللهُ اكبر [ Bismillahi Allahu Akbar - In the name of Allah and Allah is Supreme].

Islam teaches us to take the name of Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) before everything we do.

It is in Hadith - It is narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said : 'Every thing which does not start with the praise of Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) is vitiated, devoid of virtue] (Musnad Ahmed).

This is the reason Fateha and Eisaal-e-Thawab is so popular among Muslims. We cook food, sacrifice animals in the name of Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) and dedicate recompense (thawaab) to Awliya Allah and dead Muslim relatives. The people who are dead surely get benefited from Fateha and Eisaal-e-Thawaab in life after death.

Eisaal-e-Thawaab is Sunnah proved by so many Ahadith. Fateha is one of the kinds of Eisaal-e-Thawaab.

It is in Hadith - Ibn Abbas (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) narrated that a person came to the audience of Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) and submitted that his sister had made a vow (nazr) that she would do Hajj. But She died without doing it. On this the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم)said, "if she had a loan, would you pay it? He said, yes I would. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said, pay the loan due to Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ), He deserves to be paid more than anybody else". (Bukhari, Muslim)

It is in Hadith - Buraidah (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) narrated that when he was sitting with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم), a woman came and said, O'Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم), I had given a slave maid to my mother and now my mother is dead. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said, your retribution (Jaza) is a certainty and the inheritance has returned that slave maid back to you. Then the woman said, O'Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) my mother had an obligation to keep one month's fasts. Shall I keep fasts on her behalf? Again she said, O' Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) she had never done Hajj. Shall I do Hajj on her behalf? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said , do Hajj on her behalf". (Muslim)

It is in Hadith - A sweet water well was dug for the (dead) mother of Hazrat Sa'ad (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) (in Madina during Prophet Mohammad's - صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) time and it was announced هذهِ لي اُمِّ سَعد [ this well is for the mother of Sa'ad - رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ)]. Both rich and poor used to drink water from that well. (Abu Dawood, Nasa'i).

It is in Hadith Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) narrated that a person came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) and said O' Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) my mother died all of a sudden. In my opinion if she had lived, she would have done some charity. If I do it on her behalf, will she get the recompenses (thawaab)? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said 'Yes'. (Bukhari, Muslim)

The above Ahadith confirm Eithaal-e-Thawaab to the dead. If we do any charity or good deeds and donate the recompense to them, they get it in Life after death. If we recite Quran, feed the poor or do any kind of charity and donate the recompense to our dead relatives, it reaches them in Hereafter and is beneficial for them.

It is in Hadith - Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said "three things continue to benefit a (believing) person even after death - charity which he had given (which continues to benefit others), beneficial knowledge which he had left behind (i.e. authored or taught), and supplication on his behalf by a righteous child. (Muslim).

It is in Quran - إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ۚ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ [Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful (those who accept advice).] (Hood - 114)

It is in Quran - مَن جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَن جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ[ Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit, and whoever brings an evil deed shall have only the recompense of the like thereof, and they will not be wronged.] (Al-Anaam - 160)

The above Quranic verses and Ahadith signify the importance of Eisaal-e-Thawaab to our dead relatives. Who knows, our good deeds done with the intention to benefit them carry unlimited Thawaab to them and help in removal of their bad deeds or converts their bad deeds into good ones. This way they get significant assistance from the living people to increase their Thawaab even after their deaths.

What do we do in Fateha. We cook food and read the verses of Quran and feed the people and send the recompense to our dead relatives. It is important that we repeat Fateha more often so that our dead relatives get more thawaab. Thus Fateha is a requirement established by Prophet's (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم)commandment and is in practice since the time of Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم).

The deviant sects like Salafis, Deobandis mislead Muslims against Fateha and Eisaal-e-Thawaab. They say that if you sacrifice an animal for Eisaal-e-thawaab for some Wali Allah or dead Muslim, this is Haraam. With this logic, they claim the food of Fateha is Haraam.

Slaughtering of animals for deities is different from sacrificing them in the name of Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) for conveying recompense (thawaab) to the needy.

All Muslims in the world sacrifice animals by saying"Bismillahi Allahu Akbar". Where is shirk in it? Muslims sacrifice animals in the name of Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) and supplicate Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) to convey its thawaab to so and so dead Muslims. What is wrong in it? But Wahhabis/Salafis/Deobandis and their like minded go against the established principles of Islam.

Wahhabism/Salafism was invented in Arabian Peninsula in 18th century AD by Ibn 'Abdul-Wahhab who took Quranic verses revealed for the Mushrikeen of Makka and applied them on Muslim Ulema, Awliya Allah, Sufi Shuyookh and general Muslims and said those who do Fateha and Eisaal-e-Thawaab are similar to the Mushrikeen of Makka. He branded all Muslim Ulema / Awliya and Shuyookh of 1000 years before him as Mushrikeen.

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 116

وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ لِتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ[ You should not falsely declare with your tongues: 'This is lawful, and that is forbidden,' in order to ascribe false things to Allah, for those who forge lies against Allah will never prosper.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 117

مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ[ For them there is some enjoyment, but the punishment is painful.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 118

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ[ To the Jews We prohibited such things as We have mentioned to you before. We did them no wrong, but they were used to doing wrong to themselves.]

The details of these prohibitions have come in Sura Al-An'aam, verse 146 - وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ذَلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُمْ بِبَغْيِهِمْ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ [ And We forbade for the Jews all animals with claws; and the fat of oxen and sheep except which is on their backs or joined to their intestines or to the bone. This was the punishment for their insubordination; and what We say is true. ]

شَاكِرًا لِأَنْعُمِهِ اجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَاهُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ[ He (Ibrahim عليه السلام was ) Grateful to Allah for His favors; so Allah chose him and guided him to the path that is straight,]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 122

وَآَتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ[ And We bestowed upon him good in this world, and he will surely be of the upright in the Hereafter. ]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 123

ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ[ Then, (O Prophet ﷺ) We sent down Revelation to you : ‘Follow the Religion of Ibrahim (عليه السلام), who was at variance with every falsehood, and was not of those who associate partners with Allah.’]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 124

إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ[ The Sabbath was only prescribed for those who differed about it. Your Lord will indeed judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that about which they used to differ. ]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 125

ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ[ Call them to the path of your Lord with wisdom and words of good advice; and reason with them in the best way possible. Your Lord surely knows who strays from His path, and He knows those who are guided the right way.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 126

وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَئِنْ صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلصَّابِرِينَ[And if you (want to) punish (an enemy, O believers), punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient, it is better for those who are patient.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 127

وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ فِي ضَيْقٍ مِمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ[And be patient, (O Prophet ﷺ), and your patience is not but through Allah. And do not grieve over them and do not be in distress over what they conspire.]

Juz 14, An-Nahl, Verse 128

إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ [Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are virtuous.]